"I read a lot, but books didn't really touch me, probably because there weren't a lot of books for or about young black children."
A master storyteller - A celebrated contemporary author of juvenile literature - He is the only writer to win the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Award, two of the most prestigious prizes in the field of children's literature, in the same year. Curtis is the first African American to win the Newbery Medal since 1977. He tells his stories from a child's view - A writer of true ambition and a true original voice - incorporates factual events into fictional stories - painlessly introducing children to history - unforgettable, hilarious characters.
“To me the highest accolade comes when a young reader tells me, ‘I really liked your book.’ The young seem to be able to say ‘really’ with a clarity, a faith, and an honesty that we as adults have long forgotten. That is why I write.”—Christopher Paul Curtis
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born in Flint, Michigan, Christopher Paul Curtis spent his first 13 years after high school on the assembly line of Flint’s historic Fisher Body Plant #1. His job entailed hanging car doors, and it left him with an aversion to getting into and out of large automobiles—particularly big Buicks.
Curtis’s writing—and his dedication to it—has been greatly influenced by his family members, particularly his wife, Kaysandra. With grandfathers like Earl “Lefty” Lewis, a Negro Baseball League pitcher, and 1930s bandleader Herman E. Curtis, Sr., of Herman Curtis and the Dusky Devastators of the Depression, it is easy to see why Christopher Paul Curtis was destined to become an entertainer. Christopher Paul Curtis made an outstanding debut in children’s literature with The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963. His second novel, //Bud, Not Buddy//, is the first book ever to receive both the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Author Award.Christopher Paul Curtis lives with his wife and two children in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Contributor to newspapers and periodicals, including Chicago Tribune, New York Times Book Review, and USA Weekend. Curtis's work has been translated into ten languages.
Christopher Paul Curtis Fun Facts
FAMILY
Christopher Paul Curtis and his wife, Kaysandra, have two children, Steven and Cydney.
Christopher modeled characters in //Bud, Not Buddy// after his two amazing grandfathers—Earl “Lefty” Lewis, a Negro Baseball League pitcher, and 1930s bandleader Herman E. Curtis, Sr., of Herman Curtis and the Dusky Devastators of the Depression.
WRITING
Christopher Paul Curtis is a great reader, but as a youth he could not find books “that were about me.”
After high school, Christopher spent 13 years on the assembly line of the Fisher Body plant, hanging 80-pound car doors on Buicks (while attending college at night!). He wrote during his breaks to escape the noise of the factory.
Christopher took a year off from work to write //The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963//. He sat in the children’s room of the Windsor Public Library and wrote in longhand. His son Steven typed his father’s drafts into their computer and served as first reader.
HOBBIES
Playing basketball
Collecting old record albums
Writing!
FAVORITE BOOKS
Anything by Toni Morrison, Kurt Vonnegut, or Zora Neale Hurston.
Curtis generally is categorized as a contributor to historical fiction. However, he uses historical events as springboards into fictional stories that blend fact with fantasy, seriousness with humor, and significant events in American history with family heritage. Although, he addresses challenging issues such as racism, poverty, homelessness, hunger, and child abuse, Curtis balances these topics with a positive approach. Curtis is considered innovative for shifting from humorous to horrifying, and for for portraying the fears of children authentically.The author emphasizes self-respect, the acceptance of life and its challenges, and the healing quality of family love, underscoring his books wih hope and optimism.
adapted from Something About the Author- ARBA (American Reference Books Annual) 1999
Books by Christopher Paul Curtis
Synopsis & Awards
Click on the book covers below to go to other Web sites for further information and to purchase these books by Christopher Paul Curtis.
Historical Fiction - released on audio cassette by Listening Library The Watson's Go to Birmingham - 1963 is narrated by a ten year old boy. The Watson's Fourth grader Kenny and his family visit relatives in Birmingham, Alabama, during the civil rights movement. Arriving just as the city is caught up in the tragic event of the bombing of the Sixteenth Avenue Baptist Church, a historical event in which four young girls were killed. His first book, THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM - 1963, received a Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Honor book citation in 1996.
PRAISE
THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM—1963
—A Newbery Honor Book
—A Coretta Scott King Honor Book
—An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
—An ALA Notable Children’s Book
—A Booklist 25 Top Black History Picks for Youth
—An NCSS-CBC Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
—A Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Book of the Year
—A New York Times Best Book
—A Publishers Weekly Best Book
—A Horn Book Fanfare
—A Bulletin Blue Ribbon
—The California Young Reader Medal
“An exceptional first novel.”—Starred, Publishers Weekly
“Ribald humor . . . and a totally believable child’s view of the world will make this book an instant hit.”—Starred, School Library Journal
“Startling, innovative, and effective.”—Starred, The Bulletin
Historical Fiction - released on audio cassette by Listening Library. Bud, Not Buddy, a book set during the Great Depression that describes how Bud Caldwell, a ten year old black orphan from Flint, Michigan, searches for the man whom he thinks is his father.
BUD, NOT BUDDY received the Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award in 2000. BUD, NOT BUDDY
—A Newbery Medal Winner
—A Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner
—An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
—An ALA Notable Children’s Book
—An IRA Children’s Book Award Winner
—An NCSS-CBC Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
—A School Library Journal Best Book
—A Publishers Weekly Best Book
—A New York Times Notable Book
“Curtis has given a fresh, new look to a traditional orphan-finds-a-home story that would be a crackerjack read-aloud.”—Starred, School Library Journal
“Bud’s journey, punctuated by Dickensian twists in plot and enlivened by a host of memorable personalities, will keep readers engrossed from first page to last.”—Starred, Publishers Weekly
Bud, Not Buddy often is considered a fresh reworking of the "plucky orphans" genre of stories by authors such as Charles Dickens and Horatio Alger.
Young adult novel - Bucking the Sarge a sequel to Bud, Not Buddy, a fifteen year-old boy in Flint, Michigan, whose mother is a scam artist,
WINNER 2005 - ALA Best Books for Young Adults WINNER 2005 - ALA Notable Children's Book WINNER - School Library Journal Best Book of the Year WINNER - Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of the Year WINNER 2004 - Booklist Books for Youth Editors' Choice WINNER 2005 - Great Lakes Book Award WINNER 2004 - Parents' Choice Gold Seal Award WINNER 2005 - Texas TAYSHAS High School Reading List WINNER 2005 - Golden Kite Award for Fiction WINNER 2006 - Kentucky Bluegrass Award
"Flint Future Detectives" series of elementary grade chapter books. In Mr. Chickee's Funny Money readers meet Steven Carter, who helps out an elderly blind neighbor and is rewarded outlandishly: is rewarded with a quadrillion-dollar bill featuring a picture of popular soul singer James Brown.
AWARDS
WINNER 2005 - Parents' Choice
Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission is a mystery book for children aged 8-10.
Fiction -
Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission feature "wacky characters" and "hilarious" plot twists that take humorous aim at such literary icons as J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" novels.
"Infused with the same high energy " and wordplay as its prequel, noted a publishers Weekly reviewer.
AWARDS
WINNER 2007 - Book Sense
Curtis's most recent book Elijah of Buxton takes place in the mid - 1800s in an Ontario community founded by runaway slaves. In th novel, eleven year-old Elijah Freeman has been born into freedom in Buxton. During his journey, the boy learns firsthand what it means to be enslaved, and the story's "powerful ending is violent and unsettling, yet also....uplifting," according to a Publishers Weekly contributor.
Awards
A Newbery Honor Book
The Coretta Scott King Award
The 2008 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2007
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2007
A School Library Journal Best Book of 2007
A Booklist Editors' Choice
A Book Links Lasting Connection
An IRA Notable Book for a Global Society
A Parents' Choice Gold Award
A New York Public Library Best Book for Reading and Sharing
A Chicago Public Library "Children's Book for Year-Round Gift Giving" This is Curtis's best novel yet, and no doubt many readers, young and old, will finish and say, 'This is one of the best books I have ever read.' " — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Bud, Not Buddy is my favorite children's book. I have read the novel many times throughout the years. Every class loves the story and begs for me to read it to them during SSR or Reading class. Christopher Paul Curtis's humor is laugh-out-loud hilarious. I have tied the story into my Homeless Community Service Project. This year I am planning on doing an author study with my class and hope to build a class author study wiki page. The year at a glance grade level expectations for fifth grade at Windham Middle School include Identifying recurring themes in literature, including books by the same author (A1) (1.2), CMT strand alignment.
The kids really enjoy hearing the Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself. They are a great touch to Curtis's own personal text style. RULES AND THINGS NUMBER 87 - When an adult tells you they need your help with a problem get ready to be tricked-most times this means they just want you to go fetch something for them.
I am currently enjoying reading Mr. Chickee's Funny Money, to my seven year old daughter, which is an action packed detective story. Christopher Paul Curtis really knows how to relate to kids with his humor; he hooks them right in with silly language about spit, gas, and other quirky things that children enjoy reading about.
I look forward to reading Elijah of Buxton, since the reviews say it is Curtis's best so far.
About Christopher Paul Curtis -
"I read a lot, but books didn't really touch me, probably because there weren't a lot of books for or about young black children."
A master storyteller - A celebrated contemporary author of juvenile literature - He is the only writer to win the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Award, two of the most prestigious prizes in the field of children's literature, in the same year. Curtis is the first African American to win the Newbery Medal since 1977. He tells his stories from a child's view - A writer of true ambition and a true original voice - incorporates factual events into fictional stories - painlessly introducing children to history - unforgettable, hilarious characters.
Source: http://www.randomhouse.com/features/christopherpaulcurtis/christophercurtis.htm“To me the highest accolade comes when a young reader tells me, ‘I really liked your book.’ The young seem to be able to say ‘really’ with a clarity, a faith, and an honesty that we as adults have long forgotten. That is why I write.”—Christopher Paul Curtis
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born in Flint, Michigan, Christopher Paul Curtis spent his first 13 years after high school on the assembly line of Flint’s historic Fisher Body Plant #1. His job entailed hanging car doors, and it left him with an aversion to getting into and out of large automobiles—particularly big Buicks.
Curtis’s writing—and his dedication to it—has been greatly influenced by his family members, particularly his wife, Kaysandra. With grandfathers like Earl “Lefty” Lewis, a Negro Baseball League pitcher, and 1930s bandleader Herman E. Curtis, Sr., of Herman Curtis and the Dusky Devastators of the Depression, it is easy to see why Christopher Paul Curtis was destined to become an entertainer.
Christopher Paul Curtis made an outstanding debut in children’s literature with The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963. His second novel, //Bud, Not Buddy//, is the first book ever to receive both the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Author Award.Christopher Paul Curtis lives with his wife and two children in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Contributor to newspapers and periodicals, including Chicago Tribune, New York Times Book Review, and USA Weekend.
Curtis's work has been translated into ten languages.
Christopher Paul Curtis Fun Facts
FAMILY
WRITING
- Christopher Paul Curtis is a great reader, but as a youth he could not find books “that were about me.”
- After high school, Christopher spent 13 years on the assembly line of the Fisher Body plant, hanging 80-pound car doors on Buicks (while attending college at night!). He wrote during his breaks to escape the noise of the factory.
- Christopher took a year off from work to write //The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963//. He sat in the children’s room of the Windsor Public Library and wrote in longhand. His son Steven typed his father’s drafts into their computer and served as first reader.
HOBBIESFAVORITE BOOKS
Source: http://www.kidsreads.com/authors/au-curtis-christopher-paul.asp
For further information, check out the following Web sites:
Curtis generally is categorized as a contributor to historical fiction. However, he uses historical events as springboards into fictional stories that blend fact with fantasy, seriousness with humor, and significant events in American history with family heritage. Although, he addresses challenging issues such as racism, poverty, homelessness, hunger, and child abuse, Curtis balances these topics with a positive approach. Curtis is considered innovative for shifting from humorous to horrifying, and for for portraying the fears of children authentically.The author emphasizes self-respect, the acceptance of life and its challenges, and the healing quality of family love, underscoring his books wih hope and optimism.
adapted from Something About the Author - ARBA (American Reference Books Annual) 1999
Books by Christopher Paul Curtis
Synopsis & Awards
Click on the book covers below to go to other Web sites for further information and to purchase these books by Christopher Paul Curtis.The Watson's Go to Birmingham - 1963 is narrated by a ten year old boy. The Watson's Fourth grader Kenny and his family visit relatives in Birmingham, Alabama, during the civil rights movement. Arriving just as the city is caught up in the tragic event of the bombing of the Sixteenth Avenue Baptist Church, a historical event in which four young girls were killed.
His first book, THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM - 1963, received a Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Honor book citation in 1996.
PRAISE
THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM—1963
—A Newbery Honor Book
—A Coretta Scott King Honor Book
—An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
—An ALA Notable Children’s Book
—A Booklist 25 Top Black History Picks for Youth
—An NCSS-CBC Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
—A Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Book of the Year
—A New York Times Best Book
—A Publishers Weekly Best Book
—A Horn Book Fanfare
—A Bulletin Blue Ribbon
—The California Young Reader Medal
“An exceptional first novel.”—Starred, Publishers Weekly
“Ribald humor . . . and a totally believable child’s view of the world will make this book an instant hit.”—Starred, School Library Journal
“Startling, innovative, and effective.”—Starred, The Bulletin
Bud, Not Buddy, a book set during the Great Depression that describes how Bud Caldwell, a ten year old black orphan from Flint, Michigan, searches for the man whom he thinks is his father.
BUD, NOT BUDDY received the Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award in 2000.
BUD, NOT BUDDY
—A Newbery Medal Winner
—A Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner
—An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
—An ALA Notable Children’s Book
—An IRA Children’s Book Award Winner
—An NCSS-CBC Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
—A School Library Journal Best Book
—A Publishers Weekly Best Book
—A New York Times Notable Book
“Curtis has given a fresh, new look to a traditional orphan-finds-a-home story that would be a crackerjack read-aloud.”—Starred, School Library Journal
“Bud’s journey, punctuated by Dickensian twists in plot and enlivened by a host of memorable personalities, will keep readers engrossed from first page to last.”—Starred, Publishers Weekly
Bud, Not Buddy often is considered a fresh reworking of the "plucky orphans" genre of stories by authors such as Charles Dickens and Horatio Alger.
Bucking the Sarge a sequel to Bud, Not Buddy, a fifteen year-old boy in Flint, Michigan, whose mother is a scam artist,
WINNER 2005 - ALA Best Books for Young Adults
WINNER 2005 - ALA Notable Children's Book
WINNER - School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
WINNER - Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of the Year
WINNER 2004 - Booklist Books for Youth Editors' Choice
WINNER 2005 - Great Lakes Book Award
WINNER 2004 - Parents' Choice Gold Seal Award
WINNER 2005 - Texas TAYSHAS High School Reading List
WINNER 2005 - Golden Kite Award for Fiction
WINNER 2006 - Kentucky Bluegrass Award
"Flint Future Detectives" series of elementary grade chapter books. In Mr. Chickee's Funny Money readers meet Steven Carter, who helps out an elderly blind neighbor and is rewarded outlandishly: is rewarded with a quadrillion-dollar bill featuring a picture of popular soul singer James Brown.
AWARDS
WINNER 2005 - Parents' ChoiceMr. Chickee's Messy Mission feature "wacky characters" and "hilarious" plot twists that take humorous aim at such literary icons as J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" novels.
"Infused with the same high energy " and wordplay as its prequel, noted a publishers Weekly reviewer.
AWARDS
WINNER 2007 - Book SenseAwards
A Newbery Honor Book
The Coretta Scott King Award
The 2008 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2007
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2007
A School Library Journal Best Book of 2007
A Booklist Editors' Choice
A Book Links Lasting Connection
An IRA Notable Book for a Global Society
A Parents' Choice Gold Award
A New York Public Library Best Book for Reading and Sharing
A Chicago Public Library "Children's Book for Year-Round Gift Giving"
This is Curtis's best novel yet, and no doubt many readers, young and old, will finish and say, 'This is one of the best books I have ever read.' " — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
For [[http://For video interviews with Christopher Paul Curtis, go to: http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/curtis#interview
Tara Cramer's Review's
The kids really enjoy hearing the Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself. They are a great touch to Curtis's own personal text style. RULES AND THINGS NUMBER 87 - When an adult tells you they need your help with a problem get ready to be tricked-most times this means they just want you to go fetch something for them.
I am currently enjoying reading Mr. Chickee's Funny Money, to my seven year old daughter, which is an action packed detective story. Christopher Paul Curtis really knows how to relate to kids with his humor; he hooks them right in with silly language about spit, gas, and other quirky things that children enjoy reading about.
I look forward to reading Elijah of Buxton, since the reviews say it is Curtis's best so far.
Contributor to newspapers and periodicals, including Chicago Tribune, New York Times Book Review, and USA Weekend.
Curtis's work has been translated into ten languages.
© Copyright 2007, Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc. All rights reserved.
Lesson Plans Using Books by Christopher Paul Curtis